In most diseases, early detection of the disease is the key to control the symptoms, cure, reduce progression and improve prognosis. This holds true for sexually transmitted diseases too. As soon as there is a mild degree of suspicious of having contracted a sexually transmitted disease, it is advisable to go for a test. Most of the STDs can develop into serious complications over a period of time, ranging from infertility to even death.

Complications: Why early diagnosis is important: When left undiagnosed and untreated, most STDs progress to cause severe damage from sterility to cancer to even death. Listed below are some complications associated with each of the common STDs.

Chlamydia: If left untreated, can lead to epididymitis and testicles shrinking and infertility in males. This is a condition where there is pus formation in the scrotum. In women, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease which is deep-seated and unable to cure completely. This brings with it symptoms ranging from abdominal pain to uterine infections to sterility.
Syphillis: Undiagnosed syphilis can lead to blindness and deafness. It can also be passed onto the newborn and lead to severe disabilities.
Gonorrhea: If diagnosed early, it can be cured completely with antibiotics. However, if left untreated, it can lead to infertility.
HIV/AIDS: Early diagnosis can help in curtailing the disease. If detected late, then the damage is quite extensive and treatment is both expensive and cannot help restore a lot of functions. 
Symptoms of Sexually transmitted diseases: If there is a doubt of having contracted an STD, then it is very important to get tested for the same. Some of the most common symptoms are listed below.

Women: The most common symptoms in women including painful urination, burning sensation, abnormal vaginal discharge (sometimes bleeding), warts, and abdominal pain.
Men: Testicular pain, urethral pain, painful urination, pain and inflammation in the prostate, sores, fever, and abdominal pain.
Prevention: Always practice safe sexual practices. When in doubt, refrain from sex until diagnosis and treatment is complete.

Testing for STDs: Some of the standard tests include:

1. Herpes- HSV I & II - 
2. Testing HIV-- Kits and ELISA available for testing 
3. Blood test for syphilis antibodies 
4. Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea - from urine as well as swabs for culture
It is understandable that getting tested for STDs is an embarrassing situation. However, there are options available where anonymity can be maintained when getting tested for STDs. This is a wise choice to make as the risk is not just for the person affected but for the partner and in some cases even for the fetus. Early testing can help prevent complications like infertility and cancer.

STD Testing - Why You Should Never Delay?

Hiv or the human immunodeficiency virus is the lentivirus which causes hiv infection and leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or aids.

The symptoms of hiv vary from person to person. There are three main stages of hiv infections, where each stage has different symptoms.

Here are some facts about the three stages of hiv infections along with the accompanying symptoms.

Acute hiv infection stage
This is the first stage of hiv infection and after three to four weeks of becoming hiv infected, people experience symptoms, which are similar to flu. This flu usually does not last more than two weeks.

Symptoms include:
Fever
Rashes on the body
A sore throat
Swelling of different glands
Headache
Joint and muscle pain
Improper digestion

These symptoms appear and indicate that the body is reacting to the hiv. Infected cells circulate throughout the blood, and the immune system produces hiv antibodies in order to attack the viruses. This process is termed as seroconversion, and it takes place within 45 days of getting infected. The levels of virus in your blood are quite high during this stage.

Clinical latency stage
This is the second stage of hiv infection, which follows the early stage. This stage is also known as chronic hiv stage. During this stage, hiv is active, but is reproduced at a very low level. People in this stage may not receive symptoms related to hiv or may get mild indications.

In case of people who do not take medicines for hiv treatment, this stage lasts for a long period. Some people, however, progress faster through this stage. Medicines should be taken to keep the virus in check. During this stage, people can transmit hiv to others very easily in spite of not experiencing any symptoms. People who are on medication stay suppressed virally and have a low level of hiv in their blood, and the risk of transmission is less.

Symptomic hiv infection or aids stage
This is the third stage of hiv infection, which is characterized by severe damage to the immune system of an hiv-virus affected person. A patient is likely to have serious infections and gets bacterial or fungal diseases. The infections are termed as opportunistic infections. The patient is now said to be having aids.

The symptoms of this stage are:
Loss of weight
Diarrhoea
Sweating at night
Fevers and persistent coughing
Problems in the mouth and skin
Infections on a regular basis
Illness and development of other diseases.

Hiv infection affects the body via three stages and leads to aids in the third stage. Each stage is accompanied by several symptoms.

Stages and Symptoms of HIV Infections

A couple of decades ago, medical professionals believed that a lot of females could not climax at all. There are a number of reasons for this. It is easy for the male to know when he has achieved an orgasm, which usually happens with ejaculation, which is quite evident. For the females, on the other hand, it is not so evident. It is a perceived feeling and while the media showcase it in a particular way, reality is far moved from it.
There are various reasons why it is very difficult to pin this down. Orgasms are not just an elusive feeling for the woman, it is an elusive topic for the medical professionals too. Read on to know some of the common causes (more beliefs or notions) about this and some simple but effective ways of managing this.
- Private topic: Girls are very shy compared to boys and both their exposure to sex education and discussion about this is limited compared to boys. We might tend to think of it as common in India alone, but this is true across a vast number of countries. We are not alone! This shyness continues into their later years too, and unless transformed by the partner, it may continue to be a topic that is shunned.
- Purpose: Sex is more deemed as a form of procreation rather than for sex. Therefore, while sex is necessary for conception, orgasm is not. This is one more reason (strange but true) that orgasm is very elusive for a woman.
- Psychological factors: It could be guilt from past relationships or fear of past abuse. It could be fear of losing control or fear of coming across as vulnerable. For any of these reasons, women can have difficulties climaxing during the act.
In men, the causes are more defined and physical in nature and include erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, retrograde ejaculation, and delayed ejaculation.
Whatever the cause of the problem, the first step in coping up with the issue is to acknowledge the issue. Being a private topic, this is not something that is going to draw the person towards medical help. However, this needs to be discussed frankly with the partner or with the doctor. Getting the partner involved removes a lot of psychological barriers (guilt, fear, anxiety, etc.) This would result in natural ironing out of issues, improving the performance of both the people involved.
If that does not happen, seeking professional help, be it medical help to correct physical issues or counselling, is the next suggestion. A frank discussion will do wonders, and what was once elusive can be well within your reach.

The Elusive Orgasm - Causes and Coping!

Chlamydia is a Sexually Transmitted Disease. It is generally found in men and women under the age of 25. Researchers have found that in the United States about 2.9 million individuals develop this disease every year. 

Here are things that you must know about the disease:

What is it all about?
It is caused due to bacterial infection and is transferred sexually. You can be infected with disease by having vaginal, oral or anal sex with the patient. You must be aware of the fact that you can develop chlamydia even if your partner doesn t ejaculate inside your vaginal tract. If you had suffered from this disease in the past, you can still get it again by having unprotected sex with an infected person.

What are the symptoms of this disease?
There aren t any obvious symptoms for this disease. Most of the patients show no sign of developing this disease. Thus, you never get to know when you were infected actually. However, some patients do reflect some symptoms after 4 to 5 days of infection. These symptoms include abnormal penis or vaginal discharge and painful, burning urination. Men can also develop a bleeding rectum.

How do you know for sure that you are infected?
Well, you can get yourself tested to confirm about the infection.

What happens if you don t get treated?
If the patient doesn t seek medical help, he or she is posing threat to his or her health. Women may develop pelvic inflammatory diseases, infertility or ectopic pregnancy. In men, it can cause pain and fever as the infection spreads along the tube carrying sperm.

Is there any treatment?
This disease is curable. But it is important to avoid sexual contact with anyone during the period of treatment or medication. First, you need to undertake the test to confirm the infection. You shouldn t have sex for seven days after the treatment is over. It is advisable to get yourself tested thrice in a year.

Chlamydia - Things You Must Know About It!

HIV/AIDS is a type of sexually transmitted disease which is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The HIV virus attacks the immune system and makes the body vulnerable to other diseases. AIDS is the last stage of the HIV infection; HIV takes about 10 to 12 years to fully culminate into AIDS. AIDS completely destroys the immune system and leads to fatal health conditions and diseases such as cancers and other infections because of AIDS.

Causes-

HIV is a retrovirus that infects the vital organs of the human immune system. The virus progresses in the absence of antiretroviral therapy. The rate of virus progression varies widely between individuals and depends on many factors (age of the patient, body s ability to defend against HIV, access to healthcare, existence of coexisting infections, the infected person s genetic inheritance, resistance to certain strains of HIV).

HIV can be transmitted through:

Sexual Transmission. It can happen when there is contact with infected sexual secretions. This can happen while having unprotected sex, including vaginal, oral and anal sex or sharing sex toys with someone infected with HIV.
Perinatal Transmission. The mother can pass the infection on to her child during childbirth, pregnancy, and also through breastfeeding.
Blood Transmission. The risk of transmitting HIV through blood transfusion is nowadays extremely low in developed countries, thanks to meticulous screening and precautions. Among drug users, sharing and reusing syringes contaminated with HIV-infected blood is extremely hazardous.
Contrary to popular belief, HIV can never spread by means of kissing as the virus cannot survive outside the body.

Symptoms-

The early symptoms of HIV appear within a few weeks of contamination by the virus. The early symptoms include headache, pain in the muscles and the joints, rashes and inflated lymph nodes. These symptoms tend to disappear within 2 to 3 weeks.
The next set of symptoms might appear after a few years and these are persistent. The symptoms include, but are not limited to fatigue, loss of body weight, inflated lymph nodes, fever, a sensation of numbness near the limbs, pain when you try to swallow, sores in the mouth and sweating at night.
If you are diagnosed with HIV, you should:

Try to maintain a daily diet containing vegetables, legumes, and fruits which provide you energy.
Try to include a little bit of fat, carbohydrates (at least 3 servings of vegetable per day), calcium (dairy products) and low-fat protein sources (generally 80-150 gram per day of fish, skinned chicken, low-fat cheese etc.) in your everyday meal.
Maintain a daily calorie intake of 17-25 calories per pound depending on whether the person is losing weight.
Vitamins and minerals are particularly necessary to repair the cells damaged by the HIV virus.
So, it is necessary to intake foods such as eggs, milk, peanuts, green vegetables, meat, beans and broccolis on a regular basis, if you have been diagnosed with HIV.

If you are suffering from HIV, you must maintain the following food safety measures:

You should try to restrict the intake of fat
Restrict your alcohol intake
You should try to avoid fast foods
You should also limit your regular sugar intake and should avoid foods with extra sugar

HIV/AIDS - Diet, Nutrition & Food Safety You Must Follow!

Oral sex is a form of sexual activity, which involves the arousal of one's genitalia by his/her partner using the mouth (tongue, lips and throat). It is also called Cunnilingus (performed on a female) and fellatio (performed on a male). It is done before intercourse and during foreplay for sexual arousal. It is safe as compared to vaginal or anal sex, the rate of getting a sexually transmitted disease or HIV is comparatively lower. 

Oral sex can spice up your life and can also make your partner reach orgasm. It is also a safe way of getting sexual pleasure without getting pregnant. But necessary precautions must be taken in order to have safe oral sex.

Some of these necessary precautions are:

1. You can get throat cancer from oral sex: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a cancerous virus found in the body of infected people. This virus can be transmitted to the person with whom you are engaging in oral sex. Studies show that people who engage with more than 6 sexual partners at once are more prone to get oral cancer. It is advisable to get your partner tested for HPV virus before engaging in oral sex.

2. Oral sex also causes stress: Oral sex is generally related to hygiene, therefore the partner can be self conscious and worried about his/her genital hygiene. If oral sex is performed on a daily basis, some people prefer to wax their pubic hair often. This is harmful because it can cause red bumps and burning sensation occurs. It is advisable to trim your pubic hair and wash it properly before engaging in oral sex.

3. A condom should be worn by the male during oral sex so that there is no risk of male fluid entering the woman's body.

4. A latex, which is made into a thin sheet called dental dam can be used on the vagina or anus. This creates a thin barrier between the mouth and the genitalia. Hence, chances of getting infected by sexually transmitted diseases are greatly reduced.

Oral sex can be pleasurable and fun, but the risks of getting sexually transmitted diseases like herpes, gonorrhea and crabs is not altogether misplaced. So it is advisable to use proper protection and to maintain hygiene before engaging in oral sex.

4 Ways to Have Safe Oral Sex - Necessary Precautions

Don't wait any longer, manage your STD Medicine Specialist online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for STD Medicine Specialist - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES